Why I got into puzzles
Hey, everyone. So I know that my first post kind of touched on this subject, but that was really more just a "General" puzzle post where I talked about a lot of things without going into a whole lot of detail on any of them. I figured now may be a good time to talk about why I actually got into them.
I had a Rubik's cube when I was a kid- I think a lot of people did- but that didn't get me interested in them. In fact, I probably had a few, and they all probably ended up getting lost. But one Christmas when I was 16 or so, I got a Rubik's cube as a gift. I thought it was pretty cool- and I thought it was cooler when, in a book I was reading, they mentioned the 4x4x4 "Rubik's revenge". This intrigued me- I had known, like most people, what a Rubik's cube was for years. Yet I had never considered that there might be other variations, or other Rubik's cube type puzzles, out there. I Googled it, and then I googled "Rubik's cube variations". I was met with a list of some of the more common ones, and I was instantly captivated. I went on Amazon and purchased my first twisty puzzles- a bundle with the Shengshou brand 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4, and 5x5x5. Now, the 3x3x3 was horrible, but it was still a "Speed cube" and, since it was the only one I had ever felt, I loved it. The 2x2x2 and 4x4x4 eventually ended up getting broken (and replaced), and I now have two Shengshou 5x5x5's.
After I bought these puzzles, more and more of them started appearing in my "Suggested" section on Amazon, and I just kept buying them. I started watching Youtube cubing channnels (Oskar Van Deventer's and RedKB's were, and still are, some of my favorites), and through these I learned about a website called TheCubicle.us. This was a website that specialized in twisty puzzles, and once I discovered it I found out that I had a lot more options than I realized- plus, if you spent more than 10$, you got free shipping (They've since raised that to 15$, which is fine by me- rarely do I spend less than 25 or 30, anyway).
Since then, I've lost interest in cubing- more than once. I sort of go through these cycles where I'll be REALLY into it, spending all of my money on puzzles- and then something will happen that will cause me to lose interest. Usually, it's that too many of them are scrambled and I don't have the energy to solve them, and once or twice it's because a couple of my puzzles have been broken. However, something always happens that gets me back into it- the first time I lost interest, some time had passed before my brother eventually got me a gift, the Meffert's gear ball. That got me back into it. Other times it's been the result of a new puzzle coming out that I find really cool, or I'll come into a little bit of extra money and decide to buy a couple of new ones- by the time they come in the mail, I'm so excited to get them that I forget all about not being interested only a few days before.
Most recently, I had reached my longest disinterested-spell yet, one that lasted weeks. I thought that maybe I was finally done collecting for good, until I finally met another person- after all this time- who is into cubing like I am. I could make an entire post about her due to the interesting and sort of funny circumstances in which we met, but for now, I'll just writ that we're both interested in cubing and that it's a lot of fun to order new ones in the mail, now that I have somebody to open them with who actually cares. I thank you all for reading, and I promise I'll try to think of something a little bit more interesting for next time.
I had a Rubik's cube when I was a kid- I think a lot of people did- but that didn't get me interested in them. In fact, I probably had a few, and they all probably ended up getting lost. But one Christmas when I was 16 or so, I got a Rubik's cube as a gift. I thought it was pretty cool- and I thought it was cooler when, in a book I was reading, they mentioned the 4x4x4 "Rubik's revenge". This intrigued me- I had known, like most people, what a Rubik's cube was for years. Yet I had never considered that there might be other variations, or other Rubik's cube type puzzles, out there. I Googled it, and then I googled "Rubik's cube variations". I was met with a list of some of the more common ones, and I was instantly captivated. I went on Amazon and purchased my first twisty puzzles- a bundle with the Shengshou brand 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4, and 5x5x5. Now, the 3x3x3 was horrible, but it was still a "Speed cube" and, since it was the only one I had ever felt, I loved it. The 2x2x2 and 4x4x4 eventually ended up getting broken (and replaced), and I now have two Shengshou 5x5x5's.
After I bought these puzzles, more and more of them started appearing in my "Suggested" section on Amazon, and I just kept buying them. I started watching Youtube cubing channnels (Oskar Van Deventer's and RedKB's were, and still are, some of my favorites), and through these I learned about a website called TheCubicle.us. This was a website that specialized in twisty puzzles, and once I discovered it I found out that I had a lot more options than I realized- plus, if you spent more than 10$, you got free shipping (They've since raised that to 15$, which is fine by me- rarely do I spend less than 25 or 30, anyway).
Since then, I've lost interest in cubing- more than once. I sort of go through these cycles where I'll be REALLY into it, spending all of my money on puzzles- and then something will happen that will cause me to lose interest. Usually, it's that too many of them are scrambled and I don't have the energy to solve them, and once or twice it's because a couple of my puzzles have been broken. However, something always happens that gets me back into it- the first time I lost interest, some time had passed before my brother eventually got me a gift, the Meffert's gear ball. That got me back into it. Other times it's been the result of a new puzzle coming out that I find really cool, or I'll come into a little bit of extra money and decide to buy a couple of new ones- by the time they come in the mail, I'm so excited to get them that I forget all about not being interested only a few days before.
Most recently, I had reached my longest disinterested-spell yet, one that lasted weeks. I thought that maybe I was finally done collecting for good, until I finally met another person- after all this time- who is into cubing like I am. I could make an entire post about her due to the interesting and sort of funny circumstances in which we met, but for now, I'll just writ that we're both interested in cubing and that it's a lot of fun to order new ones in the mail, now that I have somebody to open them with who actually cares. I thank you all for reading, and I promise I'll try to think of something a little bit more interesting for next time.
This is pretty neat man! I literally cannot solve a Rubiks cube, I swear, lol but I've got plenty of respect for people who can!
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda interesting how you mentioned how you go through "cubing" phases, I hope that you continue to have a good phase for that cause Rubiks cubes are awesome. :D